On the day of his 21st birthday, Harold McKensie Brereton probably heard the groundbreaking news of Auschwitz’s liberation on January 27, 1945, through his family’s Rediffusion in their home.
Fast forward 79 years to the day, January 27, 2024, and Brereton himself has become a part of history at least locally. On Saturday, the former resident of Grosvenor’s Carrington Village, St Michael, marked a significant milestone — his 100th birthday.
His special day was celebrated at Frederica’s Senior Citizens Home in Atlantic Shores, Christ Church, where he was surrounded by family and caregivers. Adding to the occasion, President Dame Sandra Mason paid a special visit to honour Brereton’s remarkable century of life.
His nephew, Ian Weekes, told Barbados TODAY Brereton was a musician, playing trumpet in the Perry Green Band, with most of their repertoire being Jazz. However, he made his living as a joiner.
“I spent many of my summer holidays working in his Joiner shop. It was located on the ground floor of Miss Cricks’ wall house on Tweedside Road almost opposite Edna Wilson’s Drug Store now branded Standard Pharmacy. Christmas was a hectic time for Uncle Harold. He would pack his [tools] early in the morning, ready to be picked up by persons who wanted their antique furniture repaired or polished for Christmas.
“Uncle Harold was a mentor for many young joiners in Carrington’s Village, some of whom went on to open their own joiner shops. He had a calm and cool demeanor … they used to call him Mr Cool. Very seldom would he get flustered over most things, especially if he did not have a solution to solve a particular problem or situation,” Weekes stated.
(RG)
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